Historial Fiction and Paranormal
Goodnight-And God Be With You All I'm so excited to announce that Goodnight-and God Be With You All has now been released for sale in its own right on Amazon! Another story previously published in the anthology Heart of a Child, this one is close to my heart. Inspired by the song ‘The Parting Glass’,... Continue Reading →
All writers have days when we need a boost. Written by CrystalMMBurton a writer friend of mine, this piece is excellent.
It’s no secret that positive affirmations work. You’ve probably heard someone recommend them before to help boost your mood, motivate you, or to generally improve your outlook on life.
A positive affirmation is a self-truth. It’s a statement that we know or desire to be true, which we affirm and bring into being with our words. Naturally, it should also be optimistic to help combat the negativity and unhelpful thoughts we have. I’ve mentioned in previous posts how much our thoughts and emotions affect our reality—especially in THIS post—and one of the best ways to take control of that is to have daily affirmations that align with the life you want to lead and the person you want to be.
There is a strange power to words. A compliment can lift your spirit (“You look nice today!” ) while an insult can break your…
View original post 2,411 more words
I’m so conscious of taking up people’s time that I essentially just use a few ‘readers’ – and what they’ve done by the time I’m ready to roll is what I use. I don’t classify them as alpha or beta – I just put out a general call in @authorstalepub and I usually get some constructive feedback.
As many of you know, I’ve just finished the draft of my latest novel (insert shameless plug for new novel here). Now that the manuscript is off to the editor, it should be time to send the ARC to beta readers. Notice me rushing off to do that? No? That’s because I no longer use beta readers. Oh, the shame! Who the hell do I think I am not using beta readers?!?
I could go into a long background story of all the mistakes I’ve made with beta readers and even the heartbreaking story of losing a good friend over it all, but I’m just going to get to the heart of the matter.
Reasons I don’t use Beta Readers:
Timing. In order to plan my book marketing properly, there is a two-month gap between the time I finish the novel and it goes to the…
View original post 470 more words
I thought everyone had an internal dialogue too. An interesting blog
My day was completely ruined yesterday when I stumbled upon a fun fact that absolutely obliterated my mind. I saw this tweet yesterday that said that not everyone has an internal monologue in their head. All my life, I could hear my voice in my head and speak in full sentences as if I was talking out loud. I thought everyone experienced this, so I did not believe that it could be true at that time.
Literally the first person I asked was a classmate of mine who said that she can not “hear” her voice in her mind. I asked her if she could have a conversation with herself in her head and she looked at me funny like I was the weird one in this situation. So I began to become more intrigued. Most people I asked said that they have this internal monologue that is running…
View original post 574 more words
The #AuthorToolboxBlogHop is well worth becoming part of! I highly recommend it. Not only have I learned a lot, but I have gained followers that I may not have even reached before.
Welcome to the third year of the #AuthorToolboxBlogHop, which is a monthly event on the topic of resources and learning for authors. Feel free to hop around to the various blogs and see what you learn! The rules and sign-up form are below the list of hop participants. All authors at all stages of their careers are welcome to join. Non-writing publishing peeps (editors, book-marketing specialists, book-cover designers, picture-book illustrators, etc.) are welcome, too.
The Rules:
1. Theme: this is a monthly blog hop on the theme of resources/learning for authors: posts related to the craft of writing, editing, querying, marketing, publishing, blogging and social media tips for authors, reviews of author-related products, anything that an author would find helpful. Sharing of your experiences as it relates to these topics is encouraged but straight journaling with no takeaway for authors is not what this hop is about. Can you…
View original post 879 more words
I can relate to the need to research
Readers (and friends and acquaintances and strangers you meet during tennis matches) often have ‘funny’ ideas about what it’s like to be a fiction writer. These ideas are mostly so far off base it isn’t even funny (No, actually, I don’t spend the entire day staring at my screen trying to think up things to do!). Take researching a novel as an example. Most readers understand that writing historical fiction involves hours and hours of researching. But what about chick lit or other guilty pleasure type novels? Surely, no research or perhaps only a bit of research is required to write one of those? Um, no. I think most readers would be shocked by the amount of research writers put into their writing. (Of course, there are always exceptions. I, for one, almost never read a novel with a hero or heroine who is a lawyer as most writers have…
View original post 395 more words
Thank goodness someone after my own heart! via Adverbs: Why You Need These Delightfully Descriptive Words In Your Life (#AuthorToolboxBlogHop)
What great tips! No excuses for writer’s block now.
Welcome to the last Author Toolbox post of 2019!
Previously I’ve written about writer’s block, and how free-writing to random prompts can help break it. But where do you find these mysterious prompts? This month I’ll share my favourite writing prompt resources. For anyone doing Nanowrimo, they may help if you get stuck!
1) Random Word Generators:
Does what it says on the tin. There are websites, like Random Word.com, which provide a random new word with each refresh.
Like ‘illuminism’: belief in an inward spiritual light!
There’s a definition below the word too: Not only is it a great way to get writing prompts, it also helps you learn new words!
2) Story Cubes:
Story cubes are great fun. Each dice has 6 pictures on it, and there are 9 dice in a set. Roll all 9, and pick 3 dice for the beginning of your story, 3…
View original post 657 more words
It is vital to look after yourself if you are to be useful and productive. Some tips from author Carmen Suarez
*Below is not a transcript of video.
A few years ago, I had to go to the doctor’s office because I was experiencing so much wrist pain I had to get it checked out. At that time, I learned everything I needed to know about carpal tunnel syndrome and because it sidelined me for quite a while, I decided to start making some changes quickly to avoid ever going down that road again. I developed some really easy habits that I do every day that I wanted to share with everyone who writes, stares at a computer all day or is on the phone regularly.
A lot of writers, and creative people in general, tend to
overwork themselves especially when they’re in that zone or experiencing that
ever elusive “light bulb” moment. We’ll write
for hours without stopping — we’re also prone to over-due it when we’re
experiencing some sort…
View original post 514 more words
